4 Great Places to Drive to Near Lafayette, LA

If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that Lafayette, LA has a lot to offer. Between the various museums and historic districts, the fabulous Cajun restaurants serving up spicy cuisine, and the expansive parks system, you might think that you’d never have to leave Lafayette to have a good time. While this is true, we wanted to showcase a few of our favorite spots that are all just a short drive away. Let’s get in the Cadillac and go.

1. Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge

Lafayette is located right in the heart of Louisiana’s famed swamplands, so if you’re in the area you can’t miss a visit to the nearby wilderness areas. When we want to get out of civilization, we know right where to go: Atchafalaya Wildlife Refuge. Located just 45 minutes away by car from downtown Lafayette, the wildlife refuge is home to a series of bayous, oxbow lakes, swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests, as well as a mix of local wildlife.

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge covers a massive area of 15,000 acres, leaving plenty of space for everyone to pursue their favorite bayou activities. These could include hunting, fishing, boating, kayaking, and birdwatching, among others. While you’re there, keep an eye out for black bears, songbirds, and swallow-tailed kites. Bring your binoculars.

2. Champagne Swamp Tours

If you want to experience the swamps of southern Louisiana but don’t want to do it alone, then Champagne Swamp Tours is exactly what you need. Run by local Cajuns with 20 years of experience as guides, Champagne Swamp Tours offers kayak tours, swamp boat tours, and world-famous airboat rides. Visitors say that they almost always see crocodiles and alligators, so make sure you keep arms and legs inside the vehicles at all times.

3. Rip Van Winkle Gardens

Located just a short drive away in New Iberia, LA, the Rip Van Winkle Gardens is an absolute treat to visit on a weekend afternoon. Despite its slumber-loving namesake, these gardens won’t put you to sleep. The home on the property is the newest iteration of a hunting lodge built by Joseph Jefferson in 1870, and it still holds on to its charm of yesteryear.

Located on the shores of Lake Peigneur, the gardens are a popular nesting site for many migrating birds, making it an excellent place to visit for bird watching. The gardens themselves cover an area of 15 acres dotted with Spanish moss-adorned oak trees, making it an ideal spot for events or for just enjoying the pleasant scenery.

4. Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site

In St. Martinville, you can find the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, which was once the home to Pierre Olivier Duclozel de Vezin, a wealthy creole who built the site’s mansion around 1815. Nowadays, visitors can visit the home to get a glimpse into early nineteenth-century Cajun life and enjoy the surrounding nature.

Getting to remote areas in places like Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge will probably require some serious all-terrain capabilities, like the ones featured in the 2022 Cadillac XT5. Come by Service Cadillac and check one out today.

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